The House of Representatives has begun moves to make a British mega airline, Virgin Atlantic Airways, to compensate its passengers for allegedly denying them refreshment onboard its Lagos-London flight on August 9, 2021.
A member of the House, Rotimi Agunsoye, who moved a motion at the plenary on Tuesday, said there was a need to get the United Kingdom carrier to address the issue as soon as possible.
Moving the motion titled, ‘Unfair Treatment of Passengers Aboard Virgin Atlantic Airways,’ Agunsoye noted that the carrier operates regular scheduled flights between the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and the London Heathrow Airport.
The lawmaker said, “The House is aware that on August 9, 2021, the Virgin Atlantic Flight VS0412 conveyed passengers from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos
to Heathrow Airport London, and throughout the flight, no refreshment was served to passengers, including children, leaving them famished and weak by the time they arrived at their destination.
“The House is concerned that although the lack of refreshment was partly due to industrial action in Lagos, the management of the airline neither offered any explanations nor expressed empathy or any form of compensation for the gross inconveniences to the passengers.”
He added, “The House is cognisant of the need to ensure that all flight services operating locally and internationally from Nigerian airports observe international best practices for optimum passenger satisfaction.”
Adopting the motion, the House urged the Ministry of Aviation as well as the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to “ensure that all local and international flight services operating in Nigerian airports comply with international best practices.”
The lawmakers also urged the Ministry of Aviation as well as the FAAN to “interface with Virgin Atlantic to offer compensation to the passengers that were denied refreshment.”
The House further mandated its Committee on Aviation to ensure compliance with the resolution and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.
